Forgiveness Heals Families

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and will pay us back in full for all of the evil that we did to him.”

16 They sent the following message to Joseph: “Before he died your father commanded us, 17 ‘You are to tell Joseph, “Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.”

Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 His brothers also came and fell down in front of him, and they said, “See now, we are your servants.”

19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them and spoke to them in a kind way.

Today we're going to talk about families. Having a family can bring much joy and happiness.  But there can also be difficulties. Siblings sometimes fight and quarrel. Spouses don't always get along.

In the Old Testament, Joseph's family also had problems. His parents "played favorites" to the detriment of the family. Joseph was the golden child, and all the other siblings resented him. In fact, they hated him so much that they sold him into slavery.

When a family member hurts us, it can be very hard to forgive. It's easy to hold onto anger. But the problem is that avoiding forgiveness makes everything worse. There's no way for relationships to heal when there's only resentment.

We have a beautiful, real life example today of how forgiveness heals families. Joseph forgave His brothers, even though they sold him into slavery. His wonderful demonstration of forgiveness is a picture of how Jesus forgives us. And because of His love, we also forgive others. Even those close to us.

Joseph's brothers were afraid. And they had good reason. Selling your brother into slavery is no small thing. It is a horrible evil. Since their father had just died, they thought that Joseph would now carry out his revenge.

The brothers also had reason to be afraid since Joseph was now in a position of great power. He was a ruler in Egypt! Joseph could've had them thrown into jail if he saw fit. He was in the perfect place to punish them and make them suffer.

That's the way humans naturally think, after all. The sinful nature within all of us wants to "pay people back" for what they have done to us. We do this with snide comments behind one's back. We may resort to blaming. Or perhaps we become passive aggressive. Our angry emotions can come out in unpleasant ways, such as door slamming, yelling, and refusing to talk to someone. All of this flows from an unforgiving heart. It's sinful behavior.

You see, it's easy for us to take punishment into our own hands. It's easy to think that whoever hurts us deserves poor treatment. It's easy to feel justified in our actions.

And so it makes sense that the brothers imagined Joseph was still angry with them. Therefore, "they sent the following message to Joseph: "Before he died your father commanded us, ‘You are to tell Joseph, “Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.”"

The brothers were sorry. They repented. Their words brought Joseph to tears. Joseph knew that he had no plans of harming his brothers. Their words also brought him great joy, in knowing that they were sorry for their sins.

I find myself wondering how long Joseph waited for this moment. He knew what to say. He had already forgiven them! And so in verse nineteen we hear: "Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones'"

This is one of the most beautiful pictures of reconciliation in all of Scripture. The terrified brothers would have felt such great relief, both in knowing that Joseph would not harm them, but especially in knowing that he forgave them. Joseph assured them that not only did he forgive them, but that he would use his financial gifts to support his brothers and their children. There is no sign of hatred in his words. Only genuine love and forgiveness.

Joseph explained that he is not in the place of God. In fact, none of us are in God's place to carry out vengeance. Vengeance is the Lord's, as we hear in Deuteronomy. And in Romans Paul explains "Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,'"

In order to save us from God's wrath against sin, Jesus came into the world. Galatians chapter four states "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons." This means that just as Joseph had a family, Jesus does too. He assumed a perfect human nature. He became a man. He had parents and brothers.

Jesus lived a perfect life of love and forgiveness towards His family. Even though His brothers hated Him. And then Jesus was betrayed by His own people into the hands of the Romans, where he was sentenced not to a life of slavery, but something far, far worse: the sentence of death upon the cross. It was there that Jesus died. Not mere physical death, but spiritual death. God's vengeance for the sins of the whole world was placed upon Him. Jesus received this punishment willingly for you and me. He experienced the wrath of God in order to forgive Joseph's brothers their sin, as well as forgive your sins, and mine.

That's why Joseph could forgive so freely from the heart. It's because he had faith in the promised Messiah, the Christ, who died for His brothers sins. Vengeance is not to take into our own hands. Instead we are to forgive, just as Christ forgives us. And not only does Christ forgive us, but He also nurtures us with spiritual food in the Word and sacrament. We are assured this morning when we receive the Lord's Supper, that Jesus truly forgives all of our sins. And also that He is closer to us than any family member. He comes to us with His holy body and blood and dwells within us. Jesus forgiveness unites all of us Christians together and makes us family. We are truly sons of God.

So what does this all mean for you and me, especially in the context of our families? Joseph was able to fully forgive because of His faith in the promised Messiah. And so we also imitate Joseph's loving example, because of Jesus' forgiveness.

Jesus' love motivates us to forgive others. Even when those closest to us harm us, and say hurtful things about us. Joseph had clearly forgiven His brothers a long time before this event in our sermon text. He wept because it grieved him that they would even think of him as holding a grudge against them. And Jesus forgave even those who betrayed Him, and had him crucified. In a similar way, we are also called to forgive. Not only once. Not only twice. But as Jesus says in our gospel lesson we are to forgive our brother “seventy-seven times." Just as there is no limit in how many times Jesus forgives you your sin, there is to be no limit in how many times you forgive your brother’s sin.

Forgiveness is so important for two reasons. The first reason is that faith forgives. Those who do not forgive from the heart do not have faith. Just as Jesus has forgiven us, we forgive others. That's why we pray in the Lord's Prayer "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Now at this point, it's necessary to point out that while Christians forgive, it doesn't mean that we don't struggle with this work. Forgiveness can take time. The only one who can forgive perfectly is Jesus, who is not only a man, but also true God. And so we just do our best. It's a process. And since we're human, it's natural for us to have to work through emotions, and to have to work through the process many times. But if we don't care, and make no attempt at all to forgive, then that is a bad place to be. Those who don't forgive from the heart do not have faith.

The second reason forgiveness is so important is that it’s the only thing that can heal families. As long as you are holding onto resentment, there is no way to be reconciled to your spouse, or siblings, or even your children. A lack of forgiveness tears families apart. The first step in healing any family is either to ask for forgiveness if you have done wrong, or to extend that forgiveness to others if they come and acknowledge that they have hurt you in any way. Forgiveness is the only way that reconciliation is possible. Forgiveness is the only thing that makes broken families whole.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, when Jesus and His forgiveness is at the center of life, then there is peace and happiness. Of course families can be difficult. Of course they take work. But a house built upon Jesus will withstand any storms in life.

Another comfort that we have as Christians is that God works out all things for good. It takes faith to believe this. It isn't always apparent to us, especially in the middle of great difficulties. But nevertheless, it is true, and it is our comfort. When Jesus was on the cross, it didn't look like anything good would come from it, either. But that time of suffering and pain was really our salvation. And so take comfort, even if you are going through a difficult time. It may be difficult, but God will work it all for good. Just as Joseph reassured His brothers: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day." Because Joseph's brothers sold him, Joseph ended up in a place of power in which He stored up food for people during a time of famine. This food ended up nourishing Joseph's brothers and father. God truly works out all things for good. This is our comfort. This is our hope.

The dynamics within Joseph's family were far from perfect. And because Joseph's brothers hated Joseph, they sold him into slavery. Years later, while Joseph was in a position of power, he could've taken "revenge." He could've made his brothers suffer. But He didn't. Instead, He forgave them from his heart. Joseph was able to forgive so freely because He believed in the Promised Messiah. It is Jesus who received God's wrath and anger in our place. It is Jesus who perfectly forgave His family, and those who had Him crucified, and even you and me. That's why Joseph could forgive so freely. Jesus' love motivates us forgive. That's what faith does. Faith forgives, just as Jesus forgave us. Faith forgives, just as Joseph forgave his brothers. Faith forgives and keeps Jesus the center of our relationships. May God keep us ever founded upon Jesus' forgiveness. Trusting in Him, we are assured that God works out all things for good. Your sins are forgiven, Depart in peace. Amen.

Pastor Johnson

9/24/23